Chapter 168

  “Is there anything before we leave?” Dreadus asked, ready to leave.

  Maul scratched his balding head. “Nah. This much is enough for a sleepless night. Come tomorrow. The second round will be different, and I will know some assurances or more direct experiments. I might prepare some stuff too. Maybe a look at her from an odd perspective comes with that. Sea is one, Emblem is two, and her body is three. Maybe the pace is odd. What of time? Body structure? Purity? Weight? Spending time surviving is a thing, I know that, yet what was that place?”

  “Sorry. Private matter.” If anything, this was a point Dreadus hadn't called out, as he wasn't sure of it himself.

  “Figures. Australia is enough to warrant some lock, and that Sea will be under strict curfew. I will get it eventually, if Assembly wills it, or First will let me, which means... Hm. Eh. Either way...”

  Maul and Dreadus smirked, which widened into a burst of laughter as they busily hugged each other.

  Reaz sighed and walked away from them, deciding to check the room to pass the time.

  Of course, neither cared for secrets or non-disclosure contracts. Dreadus was cautious at first, so after realizing Maul can get some results, his choice was almost priceless. Dreadus pretty much ran his whole mouth and said whatever Maul required. It wasn't necessary before or later, as Maul needed to gain his own context.

  Ten minutes later, the only thing he couldn't say out loud was that rolled skull.

  He even included that Creature, stuff about the Holy Land, overall region, his own quaking destruction, and more ideas and details about that Sea and its effects, picture, size, and water.

  Throughout that talk, where Maul was shocked by how sizable and mysterious it sounded, Celeste listened and never talked. It wasn't as if her former home mattered a lot. There were still some pieces of her home here. One was in this room, the other closer.

  She wasn't that bummed by the loss of that Sea because she never thought she owned it, let alone felt as if it was as important as her own life. She had Hound, her freedom, and Dreadus. What else did she need?

  “That zone?” Maul raised his brow, and his scratching hand fastened.

  “It is dangerous and points out to something, right? I mean Celeste,” Dreadus gestured to her as well, but she shrugged and played with her clothes instead.

  “Home gone.” she said weekly.

  “You home-wrecker,” Maul taunted Dreadus with a smile.

  “Surely you would do the same thing.”

  “I can't believe Reaz was right. You destroyed her home, kidnapped her, and then stole her whole life away!”

  “How awful of me indeed. I have sinned, Father, yes?” Dreadus didn't seem to find anything wrong with it and preyed on nothing as a disbeliever.

  Maul chuckled and went back to checking some papers. “Gutsy. I like it.”

  “Yeah. If that's it, we have been at this for hours, so it better be worth it.”

  “Nay. With this many new lines, I bet the web will increase twice over the third. I need to research it better, so this is going to be one hell of a terrific night.”

  “Enjoy it. We will return.”

  Before leaving, Reaz coughed.

  “What? Is there anything to your dissatisfaction, dear....miss?” Dreadus asked her, trying to tease her, but it would never work on her.

  “Nah... It is... this.” Suddenly, she jumped and kicked the ceiling close to a vent.

  The metallic panel bent, and two people fell from it, rolling to the ground. Siblings. Dreadus wasn't surprised to see them, even when he had no clue they were there.

  Reaz almost didn't either. “I just Scanned the place just in case, and who have I found after so many hours?!”

  The brother scowled and helped his sister up. “I told you your Veiling is shit. They found you.”

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  “I though yours was stronger.” the sister argued and brushed some dust off.

  Reaz gave them a terrible look, even if they didn't care about any of it. They kept arguing about who had the weaker Veiling, whose was stronger, and who had been noticed first. Either way, their existence didn't matter much, and their presence wasn't a problem for anyone.

  Reaz gripped their necks and dragged them out of the doorless room, but they kept arguing even there and would do so for the foreseeable future.

  Maul remained in this room and the Sea better be damned. Celeste might be as valuable because she meant a massive head-start in that Sea's analysis or something wholly separate.

  For now, he discouraged nothing and noted the bare first layer of this person bound to no small gifts.

  Maul was the first to work with Celeste, so he was undeniably thankful for Dreadus, who hadn't gotten much in return. Just words, assurance, and gladness that Celeste was a good girl with relative safety within her.

  Maul did get much more than him, so he should kiss their feet if he was honest with himself and not mind deep into these perplexing possibilities.

  A quartet left this room and soon the whole Association.

  On the ground level and back in the proper skyfull earth, Celeste lapped for breath and hugged a tree not so far away from that hideous mouth and weird tower.

  Hound circled the tree while Reaz stopped Dreadus from stopping them. She clutched the siblings who had yet to calm their arguments and recognize her plea.

  “What's next?”

  “Tomorrow. Night is coming. We should rest a little.”

  “I meant her.” She gave Celeste a pondering look that she couldn't notice because of that tree and barking Hound.

  “Well, since I can't really stay here as planned, so home it is.”

  Reaz was almost inclined to offer something better but didn't want to be too forceful after a long day like this. She kept the siblings close and walked away. “Tomorrow than. I will come. Don't leave me behind, or I will make you regret ever walking this earth,” She threatened and not because of some cheap words.

  Dreadus watched her leave, and soon, Celeste glared at him as she hugged Hound.

  “Have you calmed down?” He asked.

  She nodded behind a furred head.

  “Was there something wrong with Maul and his tests? Wait. Sorry. I wasn't paying you much attention before, or at what is not right or wrong. Those tests are new to you, right? I barely said what they were here for.”

  “Don't care,” she said and yawned. “Wasn't worse.”

  She did care about what they did to her, but for some reason, even with that hag gone, she didn't think it was that terrible. There were worse things that could happen, like gut-deep wounds, missing limbs, and terrible, haunting nightmares.

  Also, she gained something new as well. Awareness. Lesson. Guts. She listened to some interesting words today and felt as if their shock were similar to seeing a pretty sky tearing apart.

  Celeste took sky for a boundless picture, while words and these tests sounded more complicated. Most touched upon her significance, yet she stayed a girl no matter what. Her heartbeat might be like a wild engine, blood flowing like a great river, while her calm Emblem wasn't agitated today, which was good. And not yet necessary for Maul. Why or how, she didn't know, as she didn't know what made her more special than others.

  Dreadus barely knew these parts because he had no clue about her Emblem.

  Tomorrow should show up for it and he wasn't entirely convinced he should say that to her now.

  “Let's get you some sleep. Oh, and more food, agreed?”

  Hound barked at him.

  “I don't think I have food for you.”

  Hound withered in disappointment and won a pat from Celeste. “This some weird land.”

  “Yeah. Don't get lost.” Dreadus gestured her to the street, and both of them walked away.

  ***

  An hour later, Celeste walked into the military barracks she had seen a little before. However, the machines were as menacing as before and, for some reason, much more numerous. There were even more people, so something weird was going on.

  It was no wonder. It was a hectic day for her and pretty much anyone involved in this whole Sea business.

  By home, Dreadus meant his private dorm room in the main military barracks of his Division. He had no private flat in his name because it was a useless item for him. It would just catch dust and loneliness, while he was a man of actions and fields. Missions were where he belonged. Outside, he could breathe.

  Which made this whole situation that much more weird, or point out Reaz's skepticism.

  Walking into a big building, Celeste was less afraid this time because she soon found his cave. She had unknown expectations of what that would look like, but since he had wrecked her home, she wanted to see it for herself.

  Dreadus wasted no time with anyone in the way, even if some soldiers and messengers came around and wanted some words with him.

  Some higher-ups wanted annoying words as well, but behind his ears, they went and everyone seemed busy enough as is. They moved out of the view, or down the stairs or hall, and Dreadus wanted nothing and nobody right now.

  Opening the door, Dreadus welcomed Celeste into a simple dorm unit, which was a bunch of simple rooms set in a tight hallway.

  Military barracks were simple, but not Walker's. He was at Rank 7. He shouldn't have it, but he liked it.

  Most soldiers slept in the same rooms, in groups, or on simple mats and hammocks. Such life was harsh yet led to unison and had a deep foundation in many militaries.

  Dreadus had a pair of rooms since that was the most he accepted. They were small, one with a bed, the other for some storage. Without a kitchen or shower, it was also quite a mess. It seemed no one had been there in months or cleaned it forever.

  The first room was cluttered and used as storage. Crates and weapons lay around aimlessly, and further behind them was a barely noticeable bed and more mess.

  “Sorry. It isn't tidy. Haven't been here in.... days? Well, I don't count much. I can sleep pretty much anywhere.” Dreadus said, wondering where to go with this girl.

  Glancing behind him, Celeste was already deep in some crates and found herself a grenade and shotgun in each hand.

  Hound sniffed around on his rare free feet and quickly found some interesting objects in a bunch of crates, containers, or pouches.

  Dreadus snatched them away in a breath and stared at that dog. “A single more sniff and I will drag you to the First Head! You won't make any trouble here, hear me?!”

  Hound howled in pain. No meal today unless he bites this man's head off.